SPLASH-E

Software tools and programming languages enable much of computing education. Many software experts are passionate about passing our craft along to others. Come interact with other educationally-minded software researchers during SPLASH: participate in SPLASH-E!

SPLASH-E is a new (started in 2013) forum for software and languages (SE/PL) researchers with activities and interests around computing education. Some build pedagogically-oriented languages or tools; some think about pedagogic challenges around SE/PL courses; some bring computing to non-CS communities; some pursue human studies and educational research. At SPLASH-E, we share our educational ideas and challenges centered in software/languages, as well as our best ideas for advancing such work. Unlike general conferences on computing education, SPLASH-E strives to bring together researchers and those with educational interests that arise from Software ideas or concerns.

SYMPOSIUM FORMAT: We will adopt a Q&A format that fosters audience engagement and discussion. Each presentation will last 20 minutes. After the presentation, the audience will discuss the paper with those sitting around them for 2-3 minutes, trying to identify interesting issues or questions. The Q&A then moves to the standard full-room format, with many questions arising from the discussion at the tables. This format has been used very successfully at ICER (the Computing Education Research conference).

Accepted Papers

Call for Submissions

As SPLASH-E is still taking shape as an event, we are open to a variety of formats for presentation and discussion. We anticipate a mix of structured sessions and spontaneous “unconference” sessions during the day. Possible structured submission formats include:

• 500-word max descriptions of educational challenges in SE/PL that could foster good discussion. This could include SE/PL topics that are hard to teach effectively, questions about how to assess certain forms of SE/PL learning, and more.
• 500-word max lightning talk proposals on projects in progress, zany ideas, or educational opportunities that SE/PL researchers might be missing. These can be a way to find collaborators for projects, inviting critique on research designs, or just ways to inspire good conversations. Lightning talk presentations would be 3 minutes apiece.
• Conventional papers describing research results or tools. Papers should be of length appropriate to their content, but in no case more than 10 pages. We will be highly suspicious of papers that end at the bottom of page 10! Please specify with your submission the form of proposed presentation.
• Proposals for tool demos. Tools should have a particular pedagogic component or goal and have been used in actual classes (earlier-stage tool ideas would fall under lightning talks).

All submissions should clearly state whether ideas are speculative or have been field tested in actual courses. All submissions should have a clear link to software systems or programming languages, either through research or topic area. SPLASH-E will not publish a formal proceedings, but will (with author’s permission) link accepted papers to the symposium website.

If you have a great idea that doesn’t fit one of the submission categories, contact the program chair. We are open to ideas on how to make an engaging and valuable education-oriented event within SPLASH.

More Information

For additional information, clarification, or answers to questions please contact the SPLASH-E Chair (Kathi Fisler) at kfisler@cs.wpi.edu.